Automatic sounding-rod.



1. VALLARO. AUTOMATIC SOUNDING ROD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-5.1917- Patented Ndv. 26, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET i.

INVENTOH chem Vdida/ o ATTORNEY? WITNESSES J. VALLARO;

AUTOMATIC SOUNDING ROD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG,6. 9H.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

I if

I E S i x INVENTOR dimiz VMZQ m w WITNESSES ATTOR/{EYS drawings I JUAN VALLABO, F MONTEVIDEQ, URUGUAY.

auromaric SOUNDING-ROD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filed August 6, 1917, Serial No. 184,742.

.2 a whom 2'6 may concern:

Be it known that I, JUAN VALLARO, a citizen of the 1 dent of l'tiontevideo, Department of ldontevideo, in the Republic of Uruguay, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Sounding-Rod, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description.

This invention relates to a sounding device and particularly t an improved soundrod and registering mechanism. and has object the provision of an improved iction which may be set for indicat t desired depth and for registering hs of less than this distance.

othe: object in view is to provide a device which will utilize a rod on or ot a ship, and movable members e interior of a ship for indicating the I or" the rod and the engagement thereof w n the bottom of the sea or river bed.

further object of the invention is to provide a sounding device with audible siga.

for indicating a sot bottom, and a end set of audible. signals for indicating mugs of levels of a liardbottom.

Lie accompanying drawings:

Llglll'B 1 is a side view of a part of a ship with an embodiment of the invention shovvn applied thereto.

i 2 a transverse sectional view Fig. 1 showing how the sounding extends into the interior of the shi 3 is a side view on an enlarged scale owe; part of the sounding rod showthe mechanism for indicating a mud is fragmentary sectional view 5 on line is a transverse sectional view il'lTGl Fig. ion line 5-5.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the mud indicating means shown in Fig. 2.

7 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 8 is an edge view of the structure shown in Fig. 6.

,Fig. 9 is a side view of the balancing lever and weights connected with the sounding run.

10 is an enlarged detail fragmentary Referring to the accompanying by numerals, 1 indicates a boat of any desired kind to be used on. the surface of the water, though the improvement. could be Republic of Uruguay, and a when the end bottom as shown 1n Fig.

used-in connection with a submarine without departing from the spirit of the invention. Connected with the boat 1 are sus pending members 2 and 3 which are connected to a shield 4 constructed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in order to protect the upper end of the rod 5. The rod 5 may be of any desired shape in cross section, as for instance round or elliptical and may be of any desired length. A shaft 6 is rigidly secured to the upper end of rod 5. or formed integral therewith, said shaft through a suitable opening at 7, the inner end journaled at 8 on standard 9. An arm 10 is connected with the inner end of the shaft 6 as shown particularly in Fig. 9. said shaft being squared for receiving a square shoulder in the end of the arm 10. A plurality of apertures 11 are arranged in arm 10 for receiving the various Weights 12, said weights counter-balancing the buoyancy of rod 5 or the tendency to move upwardly when the ship 1 is moving through the water. At convenient points along the rod 5 are guiding eyelet members 13 guiding a cable 14, which cable extends to a mud detecting member 1st and is secured at 15 thereto. Themud detecting member 14' is on the end of-a plate 16 clamped rigidly to and near the lower end of rod 5 as shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive. By this construction and arrangement. when the bottom of the ocean or river-bed is hard the end of rod 5 will strike the same and member 14 and associate parts will not be operated. A pivotally mounted section 17 is hinged at 18 on the board 16-and normally held as a continuation thereof by a spring 19, so that of section 17 strikes the soft 3 it will move upwardly and release the tension on the cable 14. The releasing of the cable 14 will permit the weight 20 connected therewith, as

. shown in Fig. 4 to move downwardly .and

press the button 21. Cable 14 extends through the upper eyelet 13 to a suitable pipe or passageway 22 into the interior and is finally secured to weight 20. Spring 19,

as shown in Fig. 7 is connected with the section 17 at one end and may be connected to any of the eyelets 23 at the opposite end so as to vary the amount of tension on the section 17 in order to overcome the pressure of water when the device is moving therethroug'h. When the parts are moved to the position as shown in Fig. 3 weight 20 will thereby close the circuis of the bnitery A light 26 and e bell 27 are connected with the circuit of battery 25 so that when said circuit is closed said light will be supplied with current and liglited up and said bell will be sounded which will indicate that the bottom is soft. ln case the bottom is hard the lower end of rod will. be moved upwardly as the best 1 moves along, said upward movemenl; rotating for a limited cxtent'the shaft 6 and said shaft in turn Will raise the signal arm 28 as well as the counter-bellncing arm 10. Tillie arm :28 is rigidly clamped in suiinble manner to the shaft 6 and is preferably so? parallel with the rod 5 so as to show the manner of open ation as WBll as The EXiQYit of movement of the rod. The signal rod 23 rnovcs ove1' \'vl1at may betermed a cont-eel s ale whic'iris in electrical cngagemeni. Willi (he nonuncietor 30,'which annuncia'tor hes a large number of lamps or other signal device 31 sdnpi'ed to be operated Whenever the moving parts of the scale 2?: are actual'cd. The

scale 29 is are shaped, is preferably a" quarter of a circle as shown in Fig. 4, said scale being provided Wlil'l Wlllli might be termed tracks 32 and Track is preferably of metal and carries post shown in Fig. 10. having an encircling loose which grips to a certain extent the track 33 and prevents the accidenral movement of the post, though allowing a sliding mov ment if some appreciable pressure is brought to beer thereon. The posf carries a resilient member 36 adapted To engage the Contact pins 37 of the track 32. connecting member 38 extends through the board 39 and engages the track l cmmenv refurnwire is connected with the screw 38, With a son cc of current il and with the various lamps 31 and bell 42. The pins 37 are in engagement with counseling screws 43. there being one screw l3 for each pin 37, said pins being spaced apart as sliown in d for indicating the being measured by rho sounding rod. 3 An individual wire 44 is connected with each of the screws 43 and with a representative'lamp 31, said individual wires also beingconnected with Wire 45 so is-"lo ring bell 4-2 each time one of the lights has been energized. The 32. if desired, be anode into blocks or e continuous track; [a third track 46 is provided which is formed with apertures d? in radial elinemcn'c with pins 3'7, said apercures accommodating stop pin 48 as may be desired by the operator.

In operation the supporling cable 49. as shown in Fig. l. is let out so as to allow the rod to move pivotally downwardly. Tnls 1s usually done in an ample depth of Water so that he rod may swing down to A screw or othertrack v depths.

any desirable position. This however, is not done until after the pin 48 has been pieced in the particular aperture 4:7 desired. For instance, is" the pin 4-8 was placed in the aoeture, opposite pin 37 (see Figs. '1 and 2) this would limit the downward movement of the arm 28 and the rod 5. l3? 'rhis position indiceted, for instance, thirty feel;

in depth of Water, below thirty feet would nos ali'ec'r the device, but in case the was less than thirty feet the rod 5 would be moved or the mud indicator 1% would be operated. After the rod 5 has been lowered until the arm 28 rests against the pin 8 the vessel is started and as it gains heedway the pressure of the water sgainscthe rod 5 will cause the some to move upwardly somewhat, in order to overcome this weights 1% are added successively until there will be slightly more Weight than necessary to hold the rod in its lowered position. The post 3% is then moved over to a position against the signal arm As long as the boat proceeds and the parts remain in this position none of the parts will move, consequently the persons using the device will understand that the water is over the depth. set or more than the depth set. In case a mud bottom should be engaged esshown in Fig. 3 section 17 would move upwardly and consequenl'ly allow the Weight to move downwardly causing a circuit of she lamp and bell 26 and 2'7,- which will indicate the conditions stated and may be properly noted on charts or other papers.

should be less than the depth desired rod 5 will be moved upwardly as she ship proceeds and consequently the arm 28 will swing upwardly and carry With it post 3%. As the post moves the resilient Contact iifivzill engage (he respective pins 37 and consequenily lightdilferent individual lamps 31 and then ring bell 42, em indicating she Each pin 37 indicates a certain depth according to the length of the rod 5, which of course may be made as long or es short as desired. After the arm 28 has been moved upwardly as just described and then moved dowmvardly automatically by reason of the SlllR yntering deeper Water, post 3% must be moved manually back against the arm 28 Where it remains until there is another movement of the arm. By forming the post 34 so as to remain in the position to which it has been moved ample time is given to note down the faces desired so that a proper chart of the bottom oi the see may be secured.

Whet- I claim is:

l. A sounding device of the character described adaptcd for attachment to a ship, comprising a depending sounding rod, a shaft extending" from the upper end thereof through the side of the ship, means for ply-- In case a herd; bottom should be engaged and the bot-0311 a plurality of spaced .otally with said shaft, counter-weights arranged on said lever for overcoming the force of the water when the vessel is underway, an indicating arm' connected to said shaft, and a scale over which said arm moves for indicating the various depths of the bottom as the end of said sounding rod is raised and lowered. I

2. A sounding device of the character described, comprising a sounding rod, a shaft extending from the upper end thereof and through the side of a ship to which the device is secured, an arm connected with said shaft, a scale structure over which said arm is adapted to move, a stop for limiting the downward movement of said arm and also the downward movement of said sounding rod, a sliding contact operated by said arm, electrical contacts on said scale, a common return track for said sliding contact and a second track formed of individual sections, and signal members electrically connected with said common return track and with said individual sections whereby when said arm moves upwardly by reason of the upwardly movement of the sounding rod, said signal members will be operated for indicating the changed position of the sounding rod.

3. A sounding device or the character described adapted for attachment to a ship, comprising a pivotally mounted sounding rod, a plate connected to the sounding rod near the lower end thereof, a hinged section at the lower end of the plate, yielding means normally holding said section in alinement with the remaining part of the plate, a cable connected with said section, means connected with said rod for guiding said cable to the ship to which the device is secured, a Weight connected to said cable in the interior of the ship, an electrically operated signal member, and means operated by said weight when released for closing the circuit of said electrically operated signal, said weight being released when said section engages the soft earth at the bottom of the sea or river and is moved upwardly.

4:. A sounding device of the character described, comprising a pivotally mounted arm connected to a ship, a plate connected to said arm near the bottom thereof, said plate having a hinged section at the lower end thereof, a spring normally holding said hinged section in alinement with the remaining; part of the plate, said plate being adapted to engage soft earth when in use and thereby flex said spring, a cable connccted with section and released by the movement of said section under the action of soft earth, a weight connected with said cable and means operated by the weight for sounding an alarm and thereby indicating the character of the bctt In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification 1e presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JUAN i Witnesses S. A. ltnnsn, GEORGE E. VITAL. 

